Please introduce yourself - where are you from and what are your interests?

My name is Matt Simon and I am currently employed as a musician on a cruise ship. This has been a great opportunity to travel as I have been round the world. Mediterranean, Caribbean, South America, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Japan... You meet a lot of different people from different backgrounds and most of them are cool. On the flip side it is a very enclosed environment and at times can feel like a cross between a high school and a prison, albeit a luxury one.

We perform every night, or most nights depending on which company you work for. People work hard and play hard, but if you make a nuisance of yourself you will get breathalysed and have to fly your self home from the next port. This happens more than you might think.

Other interests are keeping fit (there is always a gym on board) and sampling beers wherever we go. I spend most of my time away from home and relationships can be very difficult if work schedules dont line up and become long distance. On the other hand of you want to 'have fun' that is available too.

How did you find out about matched betting?

I cant remember how I stumbled across matched betting but I was googling how to make money online from home. As I'm not home much, in musical circles I'm out of the loop, so to speak, so I rarely get calls for work when I'm back.

I was looking for something I can do online so it can fit around my spare time and not be tied down to any location. I saw a video on youtube of how to get money from a bingo offer then after watching it a couple more times to be sure I tried it out. It worked!

I did more research and came across the Team Profit videos and website. They had a very helpful set up and I tested the water with them.

How much money have you made from matched betting so far?

I have made over £800 from matched betting. Initially I was able to get a lot coming in due to using a large float and having internet access. But working at sea limits internet access so it has slowed down considerably since then. I am hoping to bring in £250 a month on top of my regular earnings

How easy or difficult did you find learning matched betting?

I had to watch things a few times to understand how the maths works. The sign up offers were easy enough to get the hang of, as well as the bingo ones. I found the football accas hard to grasp at first, including just how to actually place the bets on the site but now I get it.

I haven't done the horse refunds yet, and I just about understand the casino stuff but have only done a few of those. The thing is, you really need to double check it when placing bets. Do you really understand it enough to put your own money on the line?

How does matched betting fit into your weekly routine?

My routine changes a lot. If I am at home I can do a lot so I will maximise my time on it. If I am at sea I cant do it, but if we are stopped in port I can find wifi in a bar and catch up on some offers.

Being abroad most sites will not allow you access to their site due to that country's gambling restrictions, but I have used a VPN to get round most of that. Smarkets dont care, which is great!

Have you successfully helped anyone you know start Matched Betting?

I have encouraged a friend to start Matched betting but he is reluctant to try anything really. Another friend used to do it as a student so I have sent him the links to this site and a couple of offers that came up. My brother is interested to try, being a smart chap he grasps

the mechanics of it, but will have to explain that to the wife to be able to use some of the joint funds! A guy I share a cabin with here is very interested to start so I will guide him through some of it, and I will recommend Team Profit and OddsMonkey as they have been so helpful to me.

What have you done (or plan to do) with the money?

Filthy lucre. Well, I am saving up money for somewhere to live once my girlfriend and I quit working at sea in a couple of years time.

I also plan to continue once we are back on land to supplement income. Being a musician can mean always chasing work and having feast/famine periods on occasion so something regular and reliable is fantastic. This would not be possible without the internet so I'm very grateful this opportunity is available.